This song is about Owsley Stanley, sound engineer for The Greatful Dead. He actually created the speaker arrangement still used today that allows the audience even in the back of the venue to get as good a sound experience as those closer to the artists. He also made the cleanest acid in the Bay Area in the mid to late 60's, which was the psychedelic capital of the world at the time.
Story of a drug dealer in San Francisco who was doing well in his chosen profession. After much success, he moves to L.A. with his "kitchen clean" product. Soon, he realizes he is no longer King of the hill and is now obsolete.
Steely Dan switchventire bands from song to song. The album Aja has over 40 musicians. Donald fagen is on the keyboards on 95% of the songs and Walter Becker on the guitar for most songs. Those are the two band leaders.
No sheet music. Those players were that good. Steely Dan(Fagan and Becker) were studio perfectionist. They used a myriad of the best sessions players of the time. Larry Carlton was the guitarist.
Professor Chuck Rainey on bass. So tasteful. So funky. Walter Becker (one of the two founders and a bass player) said "I used to bring my bass to the studio, until I heard Chuck and he started playing for us."
That guitar solo is Larry Carlton - he was brought into the studio and wrote it in a couple of hours. One of the most revered solos in rock history. Continue your journey with Steely Dan. Your audience will mushroom and you'll fall in love with this band.
Hey, what was the deal with the tonality of that solo, the one in the middle? It seemed like he was somehow in a different key or something? Amazing guitar work but beguiling! :) Do you know anything about the technical aspects of the solo?
This song is about a legendary drug dealer/chemist/audio engineer who was a key figure in the counterculture in the late 60s in the San Francisco Bay area who manufactured LSD (acid). I have found it helpful to Google the lyric meanings when it comes to Steely Dan.. there is a lot of information out there. The main musicians in the band are Walter Becker (guitar, bass, vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboard and vocals), but since there were so many musicians in and out, it could have been someone else on the bass... again, you can Google that as well. You will find that a lot of their songs are about drug use and the pitfalls that come with that lifestyle, with Becker himself overcoming an addiction to heroin, but back in the day, most lyrics were not in your face about this and tended to be more covert, if that makes sense. I'm a relatively new subscriber and enjoy your breakdown and reactions to the music that I grew up with and loved in the 70s.
There were many hippies that took the recipe forth to the streets, because I knew a Kid Charlemagne called Lance...it was a dangerous activity being a street capitalist in the 70`s global network....BUT , Checkout the Aja documentary and Chuck will explain it all....
You've got to check out Green Earrings. The bass player Chuck Rainey and drummer Bernard Purdie also play on this track. If you saw my comment on your FM reaction I recommended that you watch Rick Beatos interviews with these guys. Chuck Rainey explains how the recording process went. You may also want to check out the lyrics and their meaning beforehand, to understand what the song is about.
The line about : "is there gas in the car.?.. yes there is gas in the car " refers to the fact that Owsley was busted when his car ran out of gas and he was carrying a load of LSD!
Chuck Rainey is such a great bass player and was a session musician for many great artists such as Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Etta James and is credited for being on hundreds of album. Steely Dan had so many great legendary musicians playing on their albums.
40+ years of digging this and after reading the comments I finally found out the inspiration to this tune, damn TH-cam is so educational, thank you everybody!
Master arrangers is what Fagen & Becker were, they knew exactly what they were looking for when picking the musicians for each song....great reaction/analysis thanks!
Guitarist Larry Carlton wrote the charts with Donald Fagen's assistance on The Royal Scam album. So he knew what the song needed in the guitar solos. They practiced until they got it right. Then beyond until it was natural and organic again.
Hey man. I know the bass player, Chuck, very well. I don't know Bernard, the drummer, except through Chuck's stories about him. In short, to answer your question, they ARE that good. What you're hearing in the bass is a really typical Chuck groove. That's just him playing. I think you can hear where the ensemble parts are, and where they're hitting the marks. But wherever it's just grooving along, that's Chuck. And when you're talking about them keeping a steady band versus substituting different players, yes, they brought in whole different bands. They cycled players through until they got what they were looking for. But Chuck Rainey was a constant. He's probably the most constant ensemble member. Little wonder. He's a great bass player. People will be talking about him in a hundred years. We're talking about him now--and this was already fifty years ago. Chuck is 83 now. He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Truly one of the most amazing people you'd ever want to meet. He's a living legend.
From Wiki: Larry Carlton's guitar solo Carlton's guitar solo starts at 2'18" into the song and ends at 3'08". It was described, by Pete Prown and HP Newquist, as "twisted single-note phrases, bends, and vibrant melody lines"; they called this, and the solo in the fade-out, "breathtaking."[8] According to Rolling Stone, which ranked "Kid Charlemagne" at #80 in the list of the 100 greatest guitar songs, "In the late seventies, Steely Dan made records by using a revolving crew of great session musicians through take after take, which yielded endless jaw-dropping guitar solos. Larry Carlton's multi-sectioned, cosmic-jazz lead in this cut may be the best of all: It's so complex it's a song in its own right."[9] Far Out Magazine, in 2022, listed it as #4 in a list of the six greatest Steely Dan guitar solos, saying the "lead lines of 'Kid Charlemagne' are intense, fluid, and frequently on the brink of spinning out of control".[10] Nick Hornby, in Songbook, spoke of the solo's "extraordinary and dexterous exuberance", though he questioned the relationship between the solo and the "dry ironies of the song's lyrics".[11] Prown and Newquist described the solo during the fade-out as a "joyous, off-the-cuff break".[8] “It’s my claim to fame,” Carlton told Guitar World in 1981. “I did maybe two hours worth of solos that we didn’t keep. Then I played the first half of the intro, which they loved, so they kept that. I punched in for the second half. So it was done in two parts and the solo that fades out in the end was done in one pass.”[12] The tap on the fretboard, at the end of the solo, was cited by Adrian Belew as an early example of what he and fellow guitarist Rob Fetters were trying to accomplish, at the time when Eddie van Halen was experimenting with the technique.[13] Carlton called his solo on "Kid Charlemagne" the high point of his career at the time, saying, "I can't think of anything else that I still like to listen to as strongly as that."[citation needed
bro I’ve been trying to work out the lyrics to Steely Dan songs for almost 50 years. They are without doubt the masters of obfuscation when it comes to their music and tbh I’ve given up trying to understand what they’re referencing and just enjoy the sonic experience of listening to one of the best bands of all time. All the session musicians are masters of their craft none more than Chuck Rainey on bass. His work on Aja is off the planet. Have just discovered your channel and hope you enjoy going down the SD rabbit hole. Mark these words you ‘won’t be disappointed! Absolutely love your passion for great music 🤘
I knew Bear for many years. In addition to his legendary life he was a silversmith and made my wife and I belt buckles long ago. I went to over 300 Dead shows from 71-95. Unfortunately Bear was killed in a car accident in Australia some years ago.
"Every A-frame had your number on the wall." The A-frame house was very popular among the hippies across the Golden Gate bridge in Marin county. Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead owned one in Mill Valley for decades. "All those Day-Glo freaks who used to paint the face , they've joined the human race" Painting designs on each others faces was common, especially at outdoor concerts, etc., but all those Summer of Love idealists grew up and joined the rat race of humanity. Same sentiment as the Don Henley line": "I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac"
You asked about a Black Cow, which is traditionally just a root beer float. Their song is about an 80s cocktail of the same name with vodka, kailua, Bailey's and coke served in a large glass over ice.
Sourced from Wikipedia: "Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 - March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role in the decade's counterculture. Under the professional name Bear, he was the sound engineer for the Grateful Dead, recording many of the band's live performances. Stanley also developed the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, one of the largest mobile sound reinforcement systems ever constructed. Stanley also helped Robert Thomas design the band's trademark skull logo.[1] Called the Acid King by the media,[2][3] Stanley was the first known private individual to manufacture mass quantities of LSD.[4][5][6] By his own account, between 1965 and 1967, Stanley produced at least 500 grams of LSD, amounting to a little more than five million doses.[7]"
On Aja and Gaucho, Steely Dan would switch out entire bands during the recording process. On Royal Scam the band and core musicians were more consistent. Drums: *Bernard Purdie*, Rick Marotta; Bass: *Chuck Rainey*, Walter Becker; keyboards: *Don Grolnick, Paul Griffin,* Donald Fagen; guitar: *Larry Carlton), Denny Dias, Elliott Randall, Dean Parks, Walter Becker Session players - backing vocals, horns, etc.
Can you say something about the sublime shuffle drumming by Bernard Purdie in this song? The chords are complex and performances are sublime (including the two distinct guitar solos by jazz great, Larry Carlton). HOWEVER, if it were not for "the Purdie Shuffle" this song would not move with propulsive effect as it does.
The absolutely worked off charts written by Fagen and Becker. The bass is Chuck Rainey, the drummer is Bernard Purdie and the that guitar solo is Larry Carlton.
It's funny. When I was in HS, I was drafted to be in the acapella choir because they were in desperate need of guys who could sing bass. I could read sheet music if I plodded along with it. I had learned to play saxophone to a certain extent. But I wasn't good at reading music. After sax, I picked up on bass guitar. The band I was in consisted of two guitars, a bass and drums. Of the four of us, I was the only one who had any kind of formal music training and, frankly, I usually learned songs by ear. But I wanted to learn how to write music because I was creating a rock opera for a project. I talked the choir director, who was a concert pianist, into teaching me the basics of music composition. I stayed after class during lunch and sometimes during my study halls to learn scales on the piano. I wanted to include a couple of piano parts in the music I was writing. Nothing fancy, but I wanted it to sound good. I did it. Wrote out the sheet music for the rock opera and all, played the piano parts and recorded them along with the bass guitar parts and the lead vocals, which I covered. Got an A on the project mainly because no one had ever attempted doing something that "out there". But man, it took the better part of a year to learn how to do everything I needed to do and then record it on a multi-sync reel to reel tape recorder so that we could overdub some things, like the piano parts.
This is about a drug dealer who knows the cops are onto him and he is packing up and getting out. It is loosely based on Owsley Stanley. The rumor at the time was that the cops missed him by a few minutes but that he ran out of gas after a few blocks. That is what the "is there gas in the car?" line refers to. In reference to your other statement: The musicians were generally only given sheet music to indicate the chord changes and were told to improvise in the context of those chord changes. Chuck Rainey (Bass) and Larry Carlton (Guitar) are giving a master class in improvisation.
Love the story bout the audition sheet music infamously called 'the black sheet', based on all the notes on the page. hehehehe! Imagine listening to them at an outdoor summer festival as a kid.
Steely Dan brings n many people for albums, the best sessions players, and others. They have their core, but they bring in the best in studio to get the exact sound they want
Oh no no no. They are are on board with the complexity of the chord progression. I believe they hear so well within the progression, they just play within it. I learn what modes I need to follow. I have a feeling they transcend that.
I think you'll like King Crimson too. Pretty sure the bassist was Tony Levin, which is why I suggest King Crimson. Tony now plays with Peter Gabrel, has for a few decades now.
If you type in - Steely Dan - the making of aja There are 6 videos in a group together you can watch where Walter, Donald and a bunch of the session musicians go through how the album was made it's absolutely fascinating if your interested in that kind of stuff
Yes it's magical. You can play magic too by learning to read music. Get with a good instructor and you'll play things you haven't considered. You can do it.
Song's about a drug dealer that needs to move on (the reason is never clearly given) for survival. He was once the top of the food chain, but now needs to get gone.
Convoluted? Dude, it's quality music, and you have the best musicians. By the way, most of the charts were written on the fly by Larry Carlton during the first session.
Okay, a lot of what Steely Dan did was prewritten in the form of sheet music. But they hired the best studio musicians and quite often let them off the hook to see what they could add. Examples of that are Larry Carlton's guitar solos on this song. Carlton was asked in an interview to perfom the solos from "Don't Take Me Alive" and "Kid Charlemagne" and he told the interviewer "Don't Take Me Alive" wouldn't be a problem because he wrote it out and rehearsed it before he performed it. But ""Kid Charlemagne" was a different story as it was an off-the-cuff riff and he wasn't sure exactly what he did that day. On the song "Aja," the sax solo by Wayne Shorter was improvised, as was the drum solo. Steely Dan only had Shorter for a day and let him fill with whatever he felt was right for the song. On the song "Peg," Jay Graden's guitar solo was improvised. He was about the fifth or sixth guitarist they brought in to get the sound they wanted.
You're correct. profession and lifestyle change. Owsley Stanley A brilliant chemist who made LSD in San Francisco, "not laced with kerosene, yours was kitchen clean". Steely Dan compares him to a European Emperor from the 800s named Charlemagne. When his labs were raided, he changed his career to Sound Engineering, he was brilliant at that as well.
Yesss. You keep picking the right songs. Please kind sir, I’d love to see your reaction as you take in “since I’ve been loving you” by Led Zeppelin. It’s not their most popular song but it’s their blues’ist track and I can’t see you not enjoying that ride.
@@stevenmonte7397 let’s just be honest. We’d love to just see him get comfortable and to just let the Led out. There’s enough there for him to just fall in love. I’m just a 90s rap guy who found Led Zeppelin and has just been chasing that high ever since.
@@lw1zfog it’s killing me. The man would obviously go down the rabbit hole hard. Not only do I want to witness his encounter with Les Zeppelin, I truly believe he would love it. Plus, the man knows his music. He could teach me something in return
Donald Fagan and Walter Becker were very demanding and articulate about what they expected out of their hired studio musicians. I read where they pressured their hired musicians and expected perfection. Very professional as you can hear in this outcome of their product.
Owlsley "The Bear" Stanley was the head sound engineer for the Grateful Dead and purveyor of home made "kitchen clean" LSD to the sex, drugs, and rock'n' roll party scene that was San Francisco in the 60s-70s. "Those day glow freaks who used to paint their face, they've joined the human race" in other words, they grew up and got real. Therefore the Kid is obsolete. (Owsley was a really short guy, hence all the "kid" references even though he was really buffed. He was also one of the earliest advocates for the carnivore diet.)
Yeah, as Connie said, it’s drug song… really a drug story told as usual with some really clever, descriptive lyrics. “Crossed a diamond with a pearl, you turned it on the world” - this Owlsley Stanley dude was famous with many in the San Fran area for great LSD… and became a staple supplier for fans of the Grateful Dead. The second verse talks about how Stanley tried to entrepreneur his stuff down in LA…. But his time was winding down and “those dayglow freaks who used to paint their face, they joined the human race.” & “ look at all the white men on the street” supposedly refers to how cocaine sales (white men) were supplanting LSD. The last part just describes him trying to pack the incriminating stuff up and get out of town fast. And hey, don’t feel bad about not getting the lyrics first thing : not only do they have the storyteller flair, they use analogies that everyone doesn’t get. Also, I heard an interview with Fagen when he said that if their lyrics were too easy, they would often swap lines from different verses to purposely make it more cryptic! Take care!
if you think Chuck Rainey has his bass snappin in this then check out his work in Peg where his improvisation and class clearly shines through you will love it 🎸
What I love about Steely Dan is the lyrics. I agree they can be cryptic but what I have found is that one day I'm sitting there and a light goes on and I go, "that's what they meant". Some of their lyrics are also a bit inside and you have to know a bit about the band to get what they're talking about. This song is sort of a "Breaking Bad" story.
I suggest, on your first listen of any tune -- but especially one by the Dan -- to not obsess on the lyrics, but to just get caught up in the flow and feel of the overall sound. You're blocking yourself by thinking too much. You can always analyze the lyrics on subsequent listens.
It's crazy too ,with LSD. During the heyday of the whole Greatful Dead era when everyone was doing acid . The law was created that if you got caught manufacting LSD ,the Charge was something like "Attempting to overthrow the Government". It was heavy shit !!!!
The CIA didn't want the competition because the story became public about running experiment with mind-altering drugs on young adults in a house in/near the Haight-Ashbury district of San Fran.
🤔 Maybe a quick Wiki browse at what a song is about 1st BEFORE you react to it, may help you feel less frustrated & make the "experience" more enjoyable for you and us. 😉 That helpes my friend alot. She tried ready lyrics while reacting but her "brain just don't work that way", as she put it. ☺️ So she compromised by doing a quick search of what the song is about, which isn't cheating because you still get to listen to the song. You also get to understand all the quibs & cleaver lyrics in real time as you groove to the Music. Your brain will appreciate it too as you'll be more relaxed and have less Anxiety about not understanding. 😍 Truly enjoying your reactions. 🥰🐰
tip: always have the lyrics up on your computer or phone so you can read along as you listen. steely dan lyrics are akin to literature. each song is a little story, usually about a loser or a drug dealer, etc. this song is about the inventor of LSD and how he was the biggest celeb in SF at the time.
The story is about Charlemagne, who made a special illegal drug that becomes really popular. He then moves to another city to see if he can make more money there. The police catch up with him, and he tries to escape.
😒 Before the Internet 🤗 we ALL learned our favorite songs by ear. I took music in JHS only, played piano & 2nd clarinet, 😂 but none of that helped me learn guitar solos later when I bought a guitar. 🙋🏿♀️ I was a black girl from the Bronx learning Zepplin, Who (Tommy was the 1st chords I was taught) & U2 because I legit wanted to be Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend & The Edge. You put on the record and learned it 🤔 which was easy because (😏 I say it ALL the time) 🤘🏿 "playing Air Guitar, Air Bass, Air Drums, Air Horns (for Chicago or Earth Wind & Fire disciples) actually works!". By the time we all got our own Instruments, only thing to figure out was "where on the guitar, bass, piano is the note Im Looking for?". 😂 Its only then you realize that high note you were looking for you played near the bottom of the neck doing 🤘🏿 "air guitar" 🤯 was played on a bottom string at the top of the neck (who knew). Next song you knew you could play high notes at the top of the neck. It didn't take so long to figure out where notes actually were on an instrument. Songs it took you 3 days to learn, you were figuring out in a few hours. 😳 Some of us (okay me) learned we are BB King and can't play chords 😌 but I was okay with that, being a Lead Guitarist. 😠 Then 1 day, I came home from work and was robbed. They bent the gate, slipped thru & opened the door (caught of tape). While waiting for Insurance Money to replace everything 🎸 I picked up my friends Bass at her house. The oldies station was on and Otis Reading came on. 🤯 I figured out & played 'Sitting on The Dock of The Bay' before the song ended. 🤯 I couldn't put her Bass down all weekend. When my Ins Check arrived, I purchased the Cherry Red Fender you see me with in my Profile Pic. 🤗 Dats my baby! Now, you just find a video on TH-cam on 'How To Play .....' . I say 😁 where's the fun in that. Im still at 60, a strong proponent of first figuring out a song by ear BEFORE going to the Sheet Music. 🤔 Its like that's the answers to a pop quiz you just took. 🎸🥰🐰
of my favourite songs of all time. Once I was doing a recording session as a harmony singer for a British singer called Shakin Stevens. In the middle of the session Steve Perry came in and asked if he could hear what were doing. Sadly the song we were recording was pretty awful. Steve listened, smiled politely and left. I was mortified lol
Every great session musician is fluent in reading charts, even drummers. Time is money. Larry Carlton did most of the charting. I used to watch Steely drummer Jeff Porcaro read while he was playing, it's kind of odd. This song is an example of some of the finest music ever produced.
The session musicians they played with your all top draw musicians that could read music. They wanted to do something with Mark Knopfler but had to drop it as he couldn't then read music. Yes the were pretty strict on that point.
@@gasaholic47 Because they are gentlemen and have an ear for talent, they wanted to do more but MK wasn't in the same league as he couldn't read music. Not dissing the but it is what it is.
@@fredshred5194 I never implied you were dissing him, and yes, I've read about that many times. A shame, really, as Knopfler is a very gifted guitarist. Still, I don't think it hurt him in the least.
@@gasaholic47 I never said you were, and I agree he's a great musician, but he can't read music that's all I'm saying. Nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of musicians can't. They play be ear, and know the cords.
The song is about drugs a dealer hence the bar that says " clean this mess up else we'll end up in jail those test tubes and the scale just get it all out of here is there gas in the car yes there is gas in the car . I think the people down the hall know who you are cause the man is wise your still an outlaw in their eyes.
I love your reactions and stories. You seem like a really cool and grounded guy❤New Sub from #HOGFAMILY I know this is not a TM reaction but would really love to see you do some of Tom MacDonald’s non-political songs that have really helped people overcome a lot of challenges…I Wish, Sober, Angels, Fighter, Scars…Ghost, Gang Gang with his GF… Much Love❤
If knowing what a song is about is required for you to enjoy it, may I suggest you research the song first then listen to it? You're a talented musician with keen insights unique to musicians and I really enjoy those comments. But it's frustrating watching you so frequently pause to speculate on what the lyrics mean and that frustration overrides the enjoyment of watching what would otherwise have been an entertaining and informative video. Maybe researching the song ahead of time will allow YOU to enjoy it more and relieve you of the frustration of not knowing. Good luck to you Church Boy.
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This song is about Owsley Stanley, sound engineer for The Greatful Dead. He actually created the speaker arrangement still used today that allows the audience even in the back of the venue to get as good a sound experience as those closer to the artists. He also made the cleanest acid in the Bay Area in the mid to late 60's, which was the psychedelic capital of the world at the time.
Try Peg by Steeley lyrics are more straight forward
Story of a drug dealer in San Francisco who was doing well in his chosen profession. After much success, he moves to L.A. with his "kitchen clean" product. Soon, he realizes he is no longer King of the hill and is now obsolete.
Steely Dan switchventire bands from song to song. The album Aja has over 40 musicians. Donald fagen is on the keyboards on 95% of the songs and Walter Becker on the guitar for most songs. Those are the two band leaders.
@@joeschmo8862band dealers 😂
No sheet music. Those players were that good.
Steely Dan(Fagan and Becker) were studio perfectionist.
They used a myriad of the best sessions players of the time.
Larry Carlton was the guitarist.
Professor Chuck Rainey on bass. So tasteful. So funky. Walter Becker (one of the two founders and a bass player) said "I used to bring my bass to the studio, until I heard Chuck and he started playing for us."
Chuck's line on "Home At Last" over Purdie's shuffle... sooo good!
That guitar solo is Larry Carlton - he was brought into the studio and wrote it in a couple of hours. One of the most revered solos in rock history. Continue your journey with Steely Dan. Your audience will mushroom and you'll fall in love with this band.
Hey, what was the deal with the tonality of that solo, the one in the middle? It seemed like he was somehow in a different key or something? Amazing guitar work but beguiling! :) Do you know anything about the technical aspects of the solo?
Never has there been a more tasteful electric guitarist.
Larry improvised the solo, that makes it even more amazing.
"Those test tubes and the scale... just get it all out of here." Love that.
This song is about a legendary drug dealer/chemist/audio engineer who was a key figure in the counterculture in the late 60s in the San Francisco Bay area who manufactured LSD (acid). I have found it helpful to Google the lyric meanings when it comes to Steely Dan.. there is a lot of information out there. The main musicians in the band are Walter Becker (guitar, bass, vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboard and vocals), but since there were so many musicians in and out, it could have been someone else on the bass... again, you can Google that as well. You will find that a lot of their songs are about drug use and the pitfalls that come with that lifestyle, with Becker himself overcoming an addiction to heroin, but back in the day, most lyrics were not in your face about this and tended to be more covert, if that makes sense. I'm a relatively new subscriber and enjoy your breakdown and reactions to the music that I grew up with and loved in the 70s.
There were many hippies that took the recipe forth to the streets, because I knew a Kid Charlemagne called Lance...it was a dangerous activity being a street capitalist in the 70`s global network....BUT , Checkout the Aja documentary and Chuck will explain it all....
You've got to check out Green Earrings. The bass player Chuck Rainey and drummer Bernard Purdie also play on this track. If you saw my comment on your FM reaction I recommended that you watch Rick Beatos interviews with these guys. Chuck Rainey explains how the recording process went. You may also want to check out the lyrics and their meaning beforehand, to understand what the song is about.
Larry Carlton’s guitar solo on this is probably one of the most killer guitar solos on a rock song ever.
Intro to Don't Take Me Alive is better, IMO. But yeah, great stuff always from Larry Carlton.
The line about : "is there gas in the car.?.. yes there is gas in the car " refers to the fact that Owsley was busted when his car ran out of gas and he was carrying a load of LSD!
Chuck Rainey is such a great bass player and was a session musician for many great artists such as Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Etta James and is credited for being on hundreds of album. Steely Dan had so many great legendary musicians playing on their albums.
Everyone who played with Steely Dan were virtuosos in their own right.
One of the best outro solo's
40+ years of digging this and after reading the comments I finally found out the inspiration to this tune, damn TH-cam is so educational, thank you everybody!
Master arrangers is what Fagen & Becker were, they knew exactly what they were looking for when picking the musicians for each song....great reaction/analysis thanks!
Good to hear you recognize the bass! No one ever does!
Also, your bass tone is tight! Very nice! If you have the time I’d love to know what your rig is? Great video man!
Guitarist Larry Carlton wrote the charts with Donald Fagen's assistance on The Royal Scam album. So he knew what the song needed in the guitar solos. They practiced until they got it right. Then beyond until it was natural and organic again.
Not gonna lie, my friend, you still have some Steely Dan masterpieces to discover. Definitely hit up Dirty Work and Reelin' in the Years.
Hey man. I know the bass player, Chuck, very well. I don't know Bernard, the drummer, except through Chuck's stories about him. In short, to answer your question, they ARE that good. What you're hearing in the bass is a really typical Chuck groove. That's just him playing. I think you can hear where the ensemble parts are, and where they're hitting the marks. But wherever it's just grooving along, that's Chuck.
And when you're talking about them keeping a steady band versus substituting different players, yes, they brought in whole different bands. They cycled players through until they got what they were looking for. But Chuck Rainey was a constant. He's probably the most constant ensemble member. Little wonder. He's a great bass player. People will be talking about him in a hundred years. We're talking about him now--and this was already fifty years ago. Chuck is 83 now. He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Truly one of the most amazing people you'd ever want to meet. He's a living legend.
Go back and listen to the drummer`s insanely killer groove. It's the great Bernard Purdie playing his
"Purdie Shuffle"!
Mississippi bigfoot!
Keep this SD journey going. Lots and lots of songs to go. Every SD tune is fire and I'm loving your appreciation of my favorite band. Thank you.
on guitar a fine player larry carlton known for playing with the jazz funk band the crusaders !
🤗 Everyone should bring a little Dan to Church on Sunday! But seriously, the Music is why we all suggested Steely Dan, Pink Floyd & Rush to you. 🥰🐰
Oh, and I believe the legendary Chuck Rainey plays bass on this track.
Big-time You Tuber Rick Beato has a great interview with him on his channel.
From Wiki: Larry Carlton's guitar solo
Carlton's guitar solo starts at 2'18" into the song and ends at 3'08". It was described, by Pete Prown and HP Newquist, as "twisted single-note phrases, bends, and vibrant melody lines"; they called this, and the solo in the fade-out, "breathtaking."[8] According to Rolling Stone, which ranked "Kid Charlemagne" at #80 in the list of the 100 greatest guitar songs, "In the late seventies, Steely Dan made records by using a revolving crew of great session musicians through take after take, which yielded endless jaw-dropping guitar solos. Larry Carlton's multi-sectioned, cosmic-jazz lead in this cut may be the best of all: It's so complex it's a song in its own right."[9] Far Out Magazine, in 2022, listed it as #4 in a list of the six greatest Steely Dan guitar solos, saying the "lead lines of 'Kid Charlemagne' are intense, fluid, and frequently on the brink of spinning out of control".[10] Nick Hornby, in Songbook, spoke of the solo's "extraordinary and dexterous exuberance", though he questioned the relationship between the solo and the "dry ironies of the song's lyrics".[11] Prown and Newquist described the solo during the fade-out as a "joyous, off-the-cuff break".[8]
“It’s my claim to fame,” Carlton told Guitar World in 1981. “I did maybe two hours worth of solos that we didn’t keep. Then I played the first half of the intro, which they loved, so they kept that. I punched in for the second half. So it was done in two parts and the solo that fades out in the end was done in one pass.”[12]
The tap on the fretboard, at the end of the solo, was cited by Adrian Belew as an early example of what he and fellow guitarist Rob Fetters were trying to accomplish, at the time when Eddie van Halen was experimenting with the technique.[13]
Carlton called his solo on "Kid Charlemagne" the high point of his career at the time, saying, "I can't think of anything else that I still like to listen to as strongly as that."[citation needed
bro I’ve been trying to work out the lyrics to Steely Dan songs for almost 50 years. They are without doubt the masters of obfuscation when it comes to their music and tbh I’ve given up trying to understand what they’re referencing and just enjoy the sonic experience of listening to one of the best bands of all time. All the session musicians are masters of their craft none more than Chuck Rainey on bass. His work on Aja is off the planet. Have just discovered your channel and hope you enjoy going down the SD rabbit hole. Mark these words you ‘won’t be disappointed! Absolutely love your passion for great music 🤘
“Is there gas in the car…” 🔥
I could see the cerebral wheels turning at "that you were a champion in their eyes." Kanye sampled this tune for his song "Champion."
They had lead sheets but they also came up with their own parts....kinda like Jazz players playing off a real book chart
I knew Bear for many years. In addition to his legendary life he was a silversmith and made my wife and I belt buckles long ago. I went to over 300 Dead shows from 71-95. Unfortunately Bear was killed in a car accident in Australia some years ago.
"Every A-frame had your number on the wall." The A-frame house was very popular among the hippies across the Golden Gate bridge in Marin county. Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead owned one in Mill Valley for decades. "All those Day-Glo freaks who used to paint the face , they've joined the human race" Painting designs on each others faces was common, especially at outdoor concerts, etc., but all those Summer of Love idealists grew up and joined the rat race of humanity. Same sentiment as the Don Henley line": "I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac"
You asked about a Black Cow, which is traditionally just a root beer float. Their song is about an 80s cocktail of the same name with vodka, kailua, Bailey's and coke served in a large glass over ice.
Sourced from Wikipedia: "Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 - March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role in the decade's counterculture. Under the professional name Bear, he was the sound engineer for the Grateful Dead, recording many of the band's live performances. Stanley also developed the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound, one of the largest mobile sound reinforcement systems ever constructed. Stanley also helped Robert Thomas design the band's trademark skull logo.[1]
Called the Acid King by the media,[2][3] Stanley was the first known private individual to manufacture mass quantities of LSD.[4][5][6] By his own account, between 1965 and 1967, Stanley produced at least 500 grams of LSD, amounting to a little more than five million doses.[7]"
Time out of mind is another good one about smoking opium.
Yeah, that bass player is MISTER Chuck Rainey. Walter Becker said “when I heard chuck play, I started leaving my bass at home”.
With Steve Gadd on drums; GOATS both!
On Aja and Gaucho, Steely Dan would switch out entire bands during the recording process. On Royal Scam the band and core musicians were more consistent. Drums: *Bernard Purdie*, Rick Marotta; Bass: *Chuck Rainey*, Walter Becker; keyboards: *Don Grolnick, Paul Griffin,* Donald Fagen; guitar: *Larry Carlton), Denny Dias, Elliott Randall, Dean Parks, Walter Becker Session players - backing vocals, horns, etc.
Can you say something about the sublime shuffle drumming by Bernard Purdie in this song? The chords are complex and performances are sublime (including the two distinct guitar solos by jazz great, Larry Carlton). HOWEVER, if it were not for "the Purdie Shuffle" this song would not move with propulsive effect as it does.
And I love your sheet music story.
BOSS SQUARED.🤣
rthat song and solos is pure fucking gold
The absolutely worked off charts written by Fagen and Becker. The bass is Chuck Rainey, the drummer is Bernard Purdie and the that guitar solo is Larry Carlton.
This one and my old school are my 2 all time sd jams amaizing and the royal scam is my fav album of theres ! 🎺🎹🎸🎷🎧 🤘
It's funny. When I was in HS, I was drafted to be in the acapella choir because they were in desperate need of guys who could sing bass. I could read sheet music if I plodded along with it. I had learned to play saxophone to a certain extent. But I wasn't good at reading music. After sax, I picked up on bass guitar. The band I was in consisted of two guitars, a bass and drums. Of the four of us, I was the only one who had any kind of formal music training and, frankly, I usually learned songs by ear. But I wanted to learn how to write music because I was creating a rock opera for a project. I talked the choir director, who was a concert pianist, into teaching me the basics of music composition. I stayed after class during lunch and sometimes during my study halls to learn scales on the piano. I wanted to include a couple of piano parts in the music I was writing. Nothing fancy, but I wanted it to sound good. I did it. Wrote out the sheet music for the rock opera and all, played the piano parts and recorded them along with the bass guitar parts and the lead vocals, which I covered. Got an A on the project mainly because no one had ever attempted doing something that "out there". But man, it took the better part of a year to learn how to do everything I needed to do and then record it on a multi-sync reel to reel tape recorder so that we could overdub some things, like the piano parts.
One of the greatest duo between Donald and Walter who basically produced and or directed everything with all these great studio musicians!
The stank face is early and often with Kid Charlemagne. Nice clavinet, too.
Church has a solid stank face ! 😂
This is about a drug dealer who knows the cops are onto him and he is packing up and getting out. It is loosely based on Owsley Stanley. The rumor at the time was that the cops missed him by a few minutes but that he ran out of gas after a few blocks. That is what the "is there gas in the car?" line refers to. In reference to your other statement: The musicians were generally only given sheet music to indicate the chord changes and were told to improvise in the context of those chord changes. Chuck Rainey (Bass) and Larry Carlton (Guitar) are giving a master class in improvisation.
Bernard Purdie on drums. Chuck Rainey on Bass. Don Grolnick on clavinet. Larry Carlton lead guitar.
Larry Carlton plays the solo, Chuck Rainey on that bass.
Steely Dan, your favorite bands favorite band🔥✌🤘
Love the story bout the audition sheet music infamously called 'the black sheet', based on all the notes on the page. hehehehe! Imagine listening to them at an outdoor summer festival as a kid.
You're a very inquisitive reactor. A student of music
I love that you play a 5 string.
BOSS.
They are so great, because they were studio musicians and then formed their own band, Sad that Walter Becker passed away.
please do Steely Dan "FH (No static at all" real funky!!
It was "FM (No Static at All)"
Steely Dan brings n many people for albums, the best sessions players, and others. They have their core, but they bring in the best in studio to get the exact sound they want
Been waiting for this one. This song is absolute fire on every level.
Oh no no no. They are are on board with the complexity of the chord progression. I believe they hear so well within the progression, they just play within it. I learn what modes I need to follow. I have a feeling they transcend that.
😚 that Purdie pocket though !
I think you'll like King Crimson too. Pretty sure the bassist was Tony Levin, which is why I suggest King Crimson. Tony now plays with Peter Gabrel, has for a few decades now.
You done hired a legend
If you type in - Steely Dan - the making of aja
There are 6 videos in a group together you can watch where Walter, Donald and a bunch of the session musicians go through how the album was made it's absolutely fascinating if your interested in that kind of stuff
Yes it's magical. You can play magic too by learning to read music. Get with a good instructor and you'll play things you haven't considered. You can do it.
I'm sure they started out with sheet music but there so good they may not have needed it during recording.
Hands down several of the greatest guitar solos of all time in this tune.
Song's about a drug dealer that needs to move on (the reason is never clearly given) for survival. He was once the top of the food chain, but now needs to get gone.
Convoluted? Dude, it's quality music, and you have the best musicians. By the way, most of the charts were written on the fly by Larry Carlton during the first session.
Larry Carlton....nuff said. Yes, Walter and Donald always brought in the best guns.
Okay, a lot of what Steely Dan did was prewritten in the form of sheet music. But they hired the best studio musicians and quite often let them off the hook to see what they could add. Examples of that are Larry Carlton's guitar solos on this song. Carlton was asked in an interview to perfom the solos from "Don't Take Me Alive" and "Kid Charlemagne" and he told the interviewer "Don't Take Me Alive" wouldn't be a problem because he wrote it out and rehearsed it before he performed it. But ""Kid Charlemagne" was a different story as it was an off-the-cuff riff and he wasn't sure exactly what he did that day. On the song "Aja," the sax solo by Wayne Shorter was improvised, as was the drum solo. Steely Dan only had Shorter for a day and let him fill with whatever he felt was right for the song. On the song "Peg," Jay Graden's guitar solo was improvised. He was about the fifth or sixth guitarist they brought in to get the sound they wanted.
THE entire Royal Scam album
You're correct. profession and lifestyle change. Owsley Stanley A brilliant chemist who made LSD in San Francisco, "not laced with kerosene, yours was kitchen clean". Steely Dan compares him to a European Emperor from the 800s named Charlemagne. When his labs were raided, he changed his career to Sound Engineering, he was brilliant at that as well.
Yesss. You keep picking the right songs. Please kind sir, I’d love to see your reaction as you take in “since I’ve been loving you” by Led Zeppelin. It’s not their most popular song but it’s their blues’ist track and I can’t see you not enjoying that ride.
He will freak over John Paul Jones... The Lemon Song is also a must.
@@stevenmonte7397 let’s just be honest. We’d love to just see him get comfortable and to just let the Led out. There’s enough there for him to just fall in love. I’m just a 90s rap guy who found Led Zeppelin and has just been chasing that high ever since.
man has to do ‘Achilles Last Stand’
@@lw1zfog it’s killing me. The man would obviously go down the rabbit hole hard. Not only do I want to witness his encounter with Les Zeppelin, I truly believe he would love it. Plus, the man knows his music. He could teach me something in return
Donald Fagan and Walter Becker were very demanding and articulate about what they expected out of their hired studio musicians. I read where they pressured their hired musicians and expected perfection. Very professional as you can hear in this outcome of their product.
Owlsley "The Bear" Stanley was the head sound engineer for the Grateful Dead and purveyor of home made "kitchen clean" LSD to the sex, drugs, and rock'n' roll party scene that was San Francisco in the 60s-70s. "Those day glow freaks who used to paint their face, they've joined the human race" in other words, they grew up and got real. Therefore the Kid is obsolete. (Owsley was a really short guy, hence all the "kid" references even though he was really buffed. He was also one of the earliest advocates for the carnivore diet.)
Yeah, as Connie said, it’s drug song… really a drug story told as usual with some really clever, descriptive lyrics.
“Crossed a diamond with a pearl, you turned it on the world” - this Owlsley Stanley dude was famous with many in the San Fran area for great LSD… and became a staple supplier for fans of the Grateful Dead.
The second verse talks about how Stanley tried to entrepreneur his stuff down in LA…. But his time was winding down and “those dayglow freaks who used to paint their face, they joined the human race.” & “ look at all the white men on the street” supposedly refers to how cocaine sales (white men) were supplanting LSD.
The last part just describes him trying to pack the incriminating stuff up and get out of town fast.
And hey, don’t feel bad about not getting the lyrics first thing : not only do they have the storyteller flair, they use analogies that everyone doesn’t get.
Also, I heard an interview with Fagen when he said that if their lyrics were too easy, they would often swap lines from different verses to purposely make it more cryptic!
Take care!
if you think Chuck Rainey has his bass snappin in this then check out his work in Peg where his improvisation and class clearly shines through you will love it 🎸
They've had so many different musicians over the decades but I do know that when they toured, there was no sheet music.
What I love about Steely Dan is the lyrics. I agree they can be cryptic but what I have found is that one day I'm sitting there and a light goes on and I go, "that's what they meant". Some of their lyrics are also a bit inside and you have to know a bit about the band to get what they're talking about. This song is sort of a "Breaking Bad" story.
I suggest, on your first listen of any tune -- but especially one by the Dan -- to not obsess on the lyrics, but to just get caught up in the flow and feel of the overall sound. You're blocking yourself by thinking too much. You can always analyze the lyrics on subsequent listens.
It's crazy too ,with LSD. During the heyday of the whole Greatful Dead era when everyone was doing acid . The law was created that if you got caught manufacting LSD ,the Charge was something like "Attempting to overthrow the Government". It was heavy shit !!!!
The CIA didn't want the competition because the story became public about running experiment with mind-altering drugs on young adults in a house in/near the Haight-Ashbury district of San Fran.
The story of the most famous maker of acid in the late sixties. It's an homage to him.
🤔 Maybe a quick Wiki browse at what a song is about 1st BEFORE you react to it, may help you feel less frustrated & make the "experience" more enjoyable for you and us. 😉 That helpes my friend alot. She tried ready lyrics while reacting but her "brain just don't work that way", as she put it. ☺️ So she compromised by doing a quick search of what the song is about, which isn't cheating because you still get to listen to the song. You also get to understand all the quibs & cleaver lyrics in real time as you groove to the Music. Your brain will appreciate it too as you'll be more relaxed and have less Anxiety about not understanding. 😍 Truly enjoying your reactions. 🥰🐰
Maestro Chuck Rainey on bass
Funk on a platter!!! yeah man keep 'em coming.
Love the funk :)
There's a vid about the recording of Aja. It's really good. Appreciate you!
Its cool that you play music
tip: always have the lyrics up on your computer or phone so you can read along as you listen. steely dan lyrics are akin to literature. each song is a little story, usually about a loser or a drug dealer, etc. this song is about the inventor of LSD and how he was the biggest celeb in SF at the time.
NEVER watch the lyrics when listening to a new band. You're reading instead of listening.
The story is about Charlemagne, who made a special illegal drug that becomes really popular. He then moves to another city to see if he can make more money there. The police catch up with him, and he tries to escape.
Donald Fagen once said “don’t pay much attention to our lyrics”, so…
😒 Before the Internet 🤗 we ALL learned our favorite songs by ear. I took music in JHS only, played piano & 2nd clarinet, 😂 but none of that helped me learn guitar solos later when I bought a guitar. 🙋🏿♀️ I was a black girl from the Bronx learning Zepplin, Who (Tommy was the 1st chords I was taught) & U2 because I legit wanted to be Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend & The Edge.
You put on the record and learned it 🤔 which was easy because (😏 I say it ALL the time) 🤘🏿 "playing Air Guitar, Air Bass, Air Drums, Air Horns (for Chicago or Earth Wind & Fire disciples) actually works!". By the time we all got our own Instruments, only thing to figure out was "where on the guitar, bass, piano is the note Im Looking for?". 😂 Its only then you realize that high note you were looking for you played near the bottom of the neck doing 🤘🏿 "air guitar" 🤯 was played on a bottom string at the top of the neck (who knew).
Next song you knew you could play high notes at the top of the neck. It didn't take so long to figure out where notes actually were on an instrument. Songs it took you 3 days to learn, you were figuring out in a few hours. 😳 Some of us (okay me) learned we are BB King and can't play chords 😌 but I was okay with that, being a Lead Guitarist.
😠 Then 1 day, I came home from work and was robbed. They bent the gate, slipped thru & opened the door (caught of tape). While waiting for Insurance Money to replace everything 🎸 I picked up my friends Bass at her house. The oldies station was on and Otis Reading came on. 🤯 I figured out & played 'Sitting on The Dock of The Bay' before the song ended. 🤯 I couldn't put her Bass down all weekend. When my Ins Check arrived, I purchased the Cherry Red Fender you see me with in my Profile Pic. 🤗 Dats my baby!
Now, you just find a video on TH-cam on 'How To Play .....' . I say 😁 where's the fun in that. Im still at 60, a strong proponent of first figuring out a song by ear BEFORE going to the Sheet Music. 🤔 Its like that's the answers to a pop quiz you just took. 🎸🥰🐰
Steely Dan = cryptic lyrics
Foolish Heart by Steve Perry. would love to see what you think
of my favourite songs of all time. Once I was doing a recording session as a harmony singer for a British singer called Shakin Stevens. In the middle of the session Steve Perry came in and asked if he could hear what were doing. Sadly the song we were recording was pretty awful. Steve listened, smiled politely and left. I was mortified lol
Every great session musician is fluent in reading charts, even drummers. Time is money. Larry Carlton did most of the charting.
I used to watch Steely drummer Jeff Porcaro read while he was playing, it's kind of odd.
This song is an example of some of the finest music ever produced.
The great Larry Carlton on guitar.
The session musicians they played with your all top draw musicians that could read music. They wanted to do something with Mark Knopfler but had to drop it as he couldn't then read music. Yes the were pretty strict on that point.
They did use a portion of his solo on Time Out of Mind on Gaucho.
@@gasaholic47 Because they are gentlemen and have an ear for talent, they wanted to do more but MK wasn't in the same league as he couldn't read music. Not dissing the but it is what it is.
@@fredshred5194 I never implied you were dissing him, and yes, I've read about that many times. A shame, really, as Knopfler is a very gifted guitarist. Still, I don't think it hurt him in the least.
@@gasaholic47 I never said you were, and I agree he's a great musician, but he can't read music that's all I'm saying. Nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of musicians can't. They play be ear, and know the cords.
The song is about drugs a dealer hence the bar that says " clean this mess up else we'll end up in jail those test tubes and the scale just get it all out of here is there gas in the car yes there is gas in the car . I think the people down the hall know who you are cause the man is wise your still an outlaw in their eyes.
React to more songs W/Lyrics Church Boy, that helps a lot, peace. ✌
Yep sheet music
If u liked that, u might like 'Haitian Divorce', also S. Dan
It’s all charted music with studio musicians
They hire professional musicians
I love your reactions and stories. You seem like a really cool and grounded guy❤New Sub from #HOGFAMILY
I know this is not a TM reaction but would really love to see you do some of Tom MacDonald’s non-political songs that have really helped people overcome a lot of challenges…I Wish, Sober, Angels, Fighter, Scars…Ghost, Gang Gang with his GF…
Much Love❤
If knowing what a song is about is required for you to enjoy it, may I suggest you research the song first then listen to it? You're a talented musician with keen insights unique to musicians and I really enjoy those comments. But it's frustrating watching you so frequently pause to speculate on what the lyrics mean and that frustration overrides the enjoyment of watching what would otherwise have been an entertaining and informative video. Maybe researching the song ahead of time will allow YOU to enjoy it more and relieve you of the frustration of not knowing. Good luck to you Church Boy.
Ditto
You need to watch the Steely Dan videos from Steely Ben and then you’ll understand each song
What's an " SE?
kanye west sample this tune !